At PAX I got a chance to meet with some of the folks at Wargaming to take a peek at some of their latest developments, most notably the upcoming World of Warplanes, a major content update for their popular World of Tanks and a browser-based card game World of Tanks Generals. Read on to see what I thought.
World of Warplanes
While it may have been easy to slap a bunch of planes into World of Tanks, the follow up free-to-play World of Warplanes has had a lot more thought put into it to maintain the deep level of customization found in it’s tank-treading sibling. Players will be able to customize their planes to their hearts content using the newly introduced module system that serves to broaden the game’s accessibility. Using modules, players can select pre-set packages of upgrades (which I was told were historically accurate to each model of plane) and then immediately jump into the game without needing to fuss about engine types. That being said, modules themselves can be modified and players can even create their own packages to suit their needs, allowing diehard fans a deeper level of modification. It’s nice to know that both sides of the player base are being catered to here.
Available warplanes are split into three different classes: the fighter, the heavy fighter and the ground-assault focused class. Players will also be able to choose from four different factions as well, either the USA, Germany, USSR or Japan and each one comes with their own unique subclass of planes, derived from their historical relevancy. For example, Japan’s special class are carrier-based planes used during WW2, a smaller and faster class of plane, but at the expense of armor and survivability.
If you ever played Crimson Skies on the Xbox, gameplay works as much as you’d expect it to: using your finely-tuned flying machine of death, you’ll participate in aerial dogfights against the opposing team. Games pit two teams of 15 players against each other and offer two ways to win: either by destroying all the enemies on the opposing team or by gaining a certain amount of points, amassed by taking out ground-based targets like fuel tanks and anti-air turrets. There’s no taking off or landing, so as soon as you’ve joined a game, you’re in the air and in control. In combat, damage is not simply cosmetic – if you take damage to your wings, it’s going to limit your ability to escalate into the air. During my hands-off demo, I witnessed a nearby allied plane suffer an unfortunate case of engine-explosion, causing him to plummet spectacularly from the sky – it was quite a sight to see. Another aspect I didn’t see in combat, but was told it would be in by final release was the use of clouds, sunlight and geographical locations like bridges as cover from enemy pursuers. By the end of the demo, I had enjoyed what I saw: it looked fun, open to casual flyers and hardcore plane-enthusiasts alike and I loved that the combat brought with it consequence.
World of Warplanes is currently in closed-beta and will be released “when it’s ready”, sometime late 2012 or early 2013. It’s looking slick so far and it’ll be great to get my hands on it once it comes out.
World of Tanks 8.0
After my demo of Warplanes ended, I also managed to get some information about the latest content patch for Wargaming’s popular World of Tanks, patch 8.0. Touted as one of the largest updates the game has seen so far, 8.0 brings a brand new lighting and physics engine to the game, allowing for more realistic collisions and gameplay. Several of the maps have been extensively retooled to support the changes and players will be pleased that they’ll finally be able to ram people off hills rather than coming to a stop. The visual changes are quite dramatic so I’ll let the trailer do the talking:
World of Tanks Generals
Perhaps the most intriguing part of my meeting with Wargaming was their introduction of World of Tanks Generals, an online HTML5 browser-based collectable card game. The game’s currently in alpha-testing but promises over 220 unique cards to collect and build decks with. Instead of a traditional booster-pack system commonly found in most CCGs (whereby players buy small packs with randomized cards), Generals employs a research system where players can spend experience points gained through playing to unlock the cards that they want, with unlocks organized into tiers of power. While the system is still being worked on, the concept remains the same: using a variety of tanks, artillery and infantry, you must destroy the enemy’s base. The fact that the game is in HTML5 also means that players will be able to experience it not just on their PCs but mobile devices as well. It remains to be seen how exactly the experience will play out, but I do like that the developer isn’t afraid of going into uncharted territory.
Wrap Up
Admittedly, I never really knew much about Wargaming prior to PAX but it looks like they have a stellar amount of content lined up for the end of 2012 and the beginning of 2013. Wargaming also has plans for a naval-based World of Warships and eventual Global Wargaming.net service, which will allow all three games to co-exist within the same world. Fans will have a lot to enjoy and for any newcomers, it’s free to try, so go see what you think.
